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- Pixar, the beloved animation studio, is at a turning point in its history as Disney decides whether its films will be direct-to-Disney+ releases or continue in their theatrical designations. As films like Lightyear and the upcoming Elemental come to decide the studio's fate, fans can look back at some of Pixar's greatest successes, including their most hilarious characters so far.
The latest movie from Pixar, Turning Red, has received rave reviews from critics for its heartwarming story and emotional moments. However, Turning Red also has its fair share of humor, with 12-year-old Meilin and her group of friends providing light-hearted banter and a relatable boy-band obsession that lifts the tone of the film.
Domee Shi's project highlights Pixar's ability to balance emotion and humor in a way that captivates audiences of all ages. Whether it's the film's central subject providing laughs from start to finish or a cast of colorful sidekicks who bring the humor, Pixar has created some truly hilarious characters over the course of its 25 films so far.
Updated on December 6th, 2022 by Jordan Iacobucci:
Pixar, the beloved animation studio, is at a turning point in its history as Disney decides whether its films will be direct-to-Disney+ releases or continue in their theatrical designations. As films like Lightyear and the upcoming Elemental come to decide the studio's fate, fans can look back at some of Pixar's greatest successes, including their most hilarious characters so far.
Tow Mater
Cars
Tow Mater is a secondary character in the Cars franchise, forging a close friendship with racer Lightning McQueen after he becomes stranded in the small country town of Radiator Springs. Mater later became the pseudo-protagonist of Cars 2, engaging in an international espionage operation after a case of mistaken identity.
Mater’s heart of gold, his strong belief in friendship, and his propensity to get into trouble have given viewers a lot of hilarious situations which could leave audience's stomachs hurting. Mater was the perfect comic relief that the movie needed while it was dealing with heavy subjects such as McQueen’s self-discovery.
Dug
Up
Up is an animated movie that deals with serious issues, but it's also incredibly funny. Dug the dog may not be the first character that springs to mind when fans think of the funniest Pixar characters, but he was exactly the type of light-hearted goofball the movie needed. With all of his silliness and funny moments, Dug provided the perfect comic relief to even the most emotional and tense scenes.
What makes Dug so funny is that he's an accurate portrayal of how an excitable golden retriever would sound if they really could talk - from immediately exclaiming his love for Carl moments after meeting him to getting constantly distracted by squirrels.
Rex
Toy Story
Rex is definitely one of the most memorable characters from a Pixar movie with high re-watch value, Toy Story. Pixar came up with the perfect mixture of character traits for Rex, a big scary dinosaur with the anxious and panicky nature of a small child.
Rex was used perfectly, always appearing in moments whenever a breath of fresh air was required in a scene--and anything that he did left the audience in splits. Even the small hands of a Tyrannosaurus Rex were used perfectly to accentuate his personality, which also led to a lot of brilliant yet simple moments of physical comedy.
Mike Wazowski
Monsters, Inc.
Mike and Sully make an iconic duo in Pixar's Monsters Inc., but it's the former that stands out as one of Pixar's funniest characters. A cute, round and small monster stuck within a world where their scariness dictates social utility, created some perfect moments of rib-tickling laughter, thanks in part to the vocal stylings of comedy legend Billy Crystal.
Whether it's his over-confidence juxtaposed with his clear incompetence or his penchant for screaming like a small child at the most minor of scares, Mike's hilarious, chaotic energy serves as the perfect light-relief counterpart to Sully's more serious and gentle nature.
Edna Mode
The Incredibles
Edna Mode gave viewers the best advice in the history of superhero movies: “NO CAPES!” This iconic, hilarious moment alone cements Edna's place as not only one of the most memorable and funny characters in The Incredibles, but also one of the most beloved in Pixar history.
Edna with her calm demeanor, stern tone, and sarcastic quips had some of the most laugh-out-loud moments in the entire franchise, always leaving the audience wanting to see more of her. With an added bonus in that she is played by director Brad Bird, Edna is one of the funniest characters in the entire Pixar pantheon.
Dory
Finding Nemo
Dory is one of the most memorable characters from Pixar thanks to her iconic, and often poignant lines, and her heartwarming friendship with Marlin. When a supporting character is so beloved that they get their own movie, it clearly shows that there must be something special about them.
Dory was the much-needed comedic relief to the anxiety-ridden Marlin. While some might consider her slightly annoying, her childlike innocence is both hilarious and charming. There couldn’t be a better voice actor for this role than Ellen DeGeneres, as she brilliantly toed the line between funny and charming and a nuisance.
Anger
Inside Out
The premise of Inside Out might just be one of Pixar's most bizarre animated movie ideas, but that's also what provides it with its funniest scenes. Pixar has no swear words and generally very little aggression in their movies, which is no surprise considering their target audience is mostly children, but Anger from Inside Out is one of those rare Pixar characters who got the liberty to express a lot of, unsurprisingly, anger.
This of course gave the audience a breath of fresh air along with some hilarious moments. Watching Anger lose it over small issues provided the viewers with some rib-tickling moments throughout Inside Out and gave a refreshing contrast to Pixar's usual happy-go-lucky characters.
Alfredo Linguini
Ratatouille
Not only is Ratatouille one of the best movies from Pixar due to its engaging characters and heartwarming friendship at the center, but it was also incredibly funny. Linguini was the perfect protagonist for the movie. His incompetence, bumbling nature, and clumsiness created some hilarious moments.
His relationship with Remy and Horst also provided some brilliant comic beats. The funniest moments from the movie were mostly when Linguini was just being Linguini, there was no need for deliberate attempts at jokes which would only end up diluting the storytelling.
Crush
Finding Nemo
The one small scene in which Crush appeared became one of the most iconic moments in Finding Nemo. The laid-back turtle, a clear parody of stereotypical surfer types, even ends up providing some of the most memorable in the entire movie: "'Cause we were like, 'woaaaah.', and I was like, 'woaaaah.' and you were like, 'woaaahh...'"
With his chilled-out vibe and his rapport with his son, Crush gave the audience the perfect contrast to Marlin and Nemo. His interactions with Marlin were some of the most hilarious (and poignant) moments in the entire film.
Baby Jack-Jack
The Incredibles
Sometimes the classic tried and tested jokes just work. Baby Jack-Jack is the perfect example of that concept. Simple farts and funny noises were somehow extremely effective with Baby Jack-Jack, and they not only made the kids laugh out loud, but even had adults giggling along with them as well.
The Incredibles is, at the end of the day, an animated movie meant for kids, but Pixar did a commendable job of balancing these more immature moments with some of the more grown-up themes of the rest of the movie.
Mo Morrison
Lightyear
Mo Morrison is in a group of newbie space cadets who teams up with Buzz Lightyear in the 2022 spinoff film Lightyear. He is generally afraid of messing up, and therefore is hesitant to do anything at all, leading to plenty of hilarity--and frustration on Buzz's part.
Although Mo doesn't have an overabundance of screen time, he is nevertheless one of the more memorable characters in Lightyear. Thanks in large part to the brilliant comedic timing of Taika Waititi, many audiences will certainly look back kindly on Mo's character in repeat viewings.
Duke Caboom
Toy Story 4
Keanu Reeves voices Duke Caboom, a stunt-performing toy in Toy Story 4. Caboom is an old friend of Bo Peep and helps her and Woody reunite with their friends after becoming separated. During his brief appearances in the film, Caboom quickly establishes himself as one of its more memorable new characters.
Despite appearing in a franchise overflowing with iconic characters, Caboom manages to steal every single scene in which he appears. His constant self-delusions as to his own talent, and the brilliantly sincere performance from Reeves elevate this character into one of the most beloved in the Toy Story series of films.
22
Soul
In Soul, 22 is the consciousness of a human-to-be who has no desire whatsoever to make the journey to Earth to begin her life. She struggles to find a passion intriguing enough to change her mind, eventually coming to appreciate life for what it is and finally allowing herself to be born.
As complex and convoluted as her character may be, there is no denying that 22 is utterly hilarious. With the vocal stylings of comedy all-star Tina Fey, 22 is wonderfully sarcastic and overly hyper, making for a very memorable and lovable personality. The addition of flashbacks wherein she is mentored by various historical figures only adds to the character's hilarity, marking a bright spot in a very emotional film.
Bing Bong
Inside Out
Bing Bong is a character from the hit film Inside Out. He is Riley's imaginary friend who, after years of isolation, runs across Joy and Sadness during their journey back home. The character is also infamous for his tragic ending, in which he is forgotten about, sacrificing his own life to help Joy escape.
Despite the painful memories that Bing Bong no doubt produces in viewers, he remains one of the funniest characters in the film. The perfect representation of what a young child's imagination could conjure up, Bing Bong is a wonderfully zany and cartoony addition to the film, who is also responsible for some of its most hilarious bits.
Mr. Potato Head
Toy Story
Some of Pixar's funniest characters have been around from the very beginning. Mr. Potato Head, who made his first appearance in Toy Story, Pixar's first feature film, remains one of the all-time funniest characters in the studio's entire history.
Played by the great Don Rickles, Mr. Potato Head is great for visual gags given his odd physiology, but is also capable of delivering jokes for older audiences as well. He has remained one of Pixar's most recognizable characters ever since his debut, playing a major role in all four Toy Story films.